The Benefit of SCBWI Contest and SVS
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Hi all
I wanted to share some news. In the fall I entered the SCBWI Tomie Contest. My Little Red and Wolf piece did not win but I did enter it into the Tomie Gallery for the public to view.
I recently landed a nice deal for a Pre-K book with McGraw-Hill, an educational publisher out of NYC.
I found out today that the editorial director saw my work in the gallery and was immediately drawn to my characters, went to my site and shared it with his team. They loved my style.
Besides entering the contest, I had assistance from @Lee-White who really helped me focus my main portfolio and he pointed out that my work especially Buzabee was appealing for the pre-k market and to do more of him in addition to my other work.
They loved Buzabee too and I think that is what ultimately sold them on me for this Pre-K project. Thanks Lee!!!
So even though my work was not chosen for the contest it still lead to a contract. That and a nice, clean portfolio and website design with a focused balance but still showing a nice variety. www.charlieeveryan.com
SVS rocks!!
Moral of the story, keep putting work out there and listen to @Lee-White and @Will-Terry and @Jake-Parker, because they know their stuff and then some!!
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@Charlie-Eve-Ryan That is an awesome success story!
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@mattramsey Thanks Matt. My SVS subscription is paid for ...for the next several decades so totally worth it!
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That is wonderful news congratulations!!!!!! So happy for you
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And your website is gorgeous!
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Wow congratulations, that is fantastic news! So pleased for you
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Thats so awesome, congrats! And totally deserved. Your Little Red piece definitely stood out of the crowd, I'm not surprised it caught someone's eye.
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That is awesome and inspiring for the rest of us! Thanks for sharing your success with us. The best of luck to you moving forward.
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Very well deserved success story here. You did the work, You listened to what instructors had to say, and you got yourself out there. You would be amazed at how many students don't do those three simple things. I'm so happy you got this deal in place. I do think it will be the first of many! : )
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Congratulations! That is so awesome.
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WOOHOO!!! Congratulations Charlie! So happy for you!!
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@Charlie-Eve-Ryan That's so awesome! Congrats Charlie, very well deserved!
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That is amazing! Congratulations.
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Inspiring and amazing!
Congrats.
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Wow, thank you all so much. It is greatly appreciated. I have really enjoyed being a part of this community and I know by sharing my work here and getting feedback it has helped me grow. Plus, analyzing and drawing over on others people's work has really helped me see and evaluate my own work differently. It all helps with growth.
@Lee-White Thanks so much and you are right, I think sometimes it can be easy to stay in "student" mode with the whole fear of rejection thing etc. But they can't hire you if they never see your work.
As Lee and @Will-Terry know, I am no spring chicken either here ...though my maturity level doesn't always necessarily match my age ie 40. I'm pretty silly but I work hard.
I have two very active little ones, ages 4 and 7 plus an awesome husband who works 60+ hours a week so the house, the kids, the endless laundry, dinners and lessons. playdates etc are on me. I am a former nurse with a love for art who can't afford a traditional art school, so in the last few years I frankensteined my education through SVS, workshops, and conferences. I have spent many late nights after the kids are in bed trying to figure out how to get from here to there and cursing myself for not being naturally gifted at perspective!
So I know what it is like to have a ton of responsibilities to prioritize as I pursue my dream. It is not easy, but very worth it.
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I can't say why, by your style is very moving to me. My best wishes.
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@sergio Wow, thanks Sergio, that is very, very kind.
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@Charlie-Eve-Ryan I am so excited for you! Congratulations many times over. It is always so great to see someone who is so nice and talented and hard working get recognized like this!!!
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@Rich-Green Thanks so much, Rich! Your enthusiasm and kind words are much appreciated!!
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Thank you for sharing your story! We share a similar background I am in my 40;s also a nurse and also found SVS as I couldn't afford other online schools- So so happy your hard work has opened doors for your Congrats!